This invention relates to tool holders and particularly to a pivot adjustment assembly for lateral pivoting of a tool held therein.
A variety of tool holders are known for holding cutting bits and the like for use in machine tools such as lathes and milling machines. The tool holders may take a variety of forms to suit the machine in which they are employed and to accommodate the particular cutting bit or other item to be clamped in the holder. In general, the tool holders comprise a metal body having one or more separate clamping elements fastened to the body by appropriate machine screws or other fasteners and defining a recess or opening into which a tool bit is inserted and locked into position by one or more locking screws or other clamp elements.
Such a tool holder is typically secured by any suitable means to a guide piece such as a rail or slide. The tool holder is then manually disposed or mechanically driven along such a guide into a workpiece. This workpiece is typically rotating or moving at a high rate of speed such that as the cutting bit or other object contacts the workpiece, material is gradually removed or deformed at a controlled rate, thereby allowing a precise formation of a desired pattern or cut in the workpiece. Often, such a tool holder is mounted on a guide apparatus which tends to be difficult to precisely align at the exact cutting angle. This misalignment can cause an unwanted tapering of a resulting cut in the workpiece.
It would therefore be advantageous to have a tool holder which allows a precise, controlled lateral pivoting of the cutting piece to adjust the position of the tool bit to produce an intended cut.